Garden Photo of the Day

The evolution of Regina's roadside garden in Illinois

In-house laborer cleaning up daylily blooms.

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This is the appraisal photo of the home in 2003. There are two pin oaks in the center of the yard and two white oaks by the garage as well as many other oaks in the back. We have always been very careful working around the oaks.

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Another BEFORE photo

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In 2005 we installed the split rail fence across the front and down the east side of property. I think of all things we did, this was my favorite. Thank goodness for gas powered post hole diggers!

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In May 2006 we started laying out beds for future planting and relocated the flagpole, dreaming of all the plants I would get to buy to fill the beds. We also ran electricity out to the fence to light the flag (and in anticipation of Christmas lights on the fence) and over to the hosta bed under the old Spruces for future landscape lighting.

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The yard across the front. Ignore the construction debris at the rear, the patio was undergoing a major renovation too. About 4 years ago we purchased an additional 75 feet on the west side of our property shown here. Betcha you know what that means...RIGHT!!.... more plant shopping!! I have tried to get the phone company to move that unsightly fiber optic marker, but they just don't understand!!

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My hosta bed before the voles attacked it during the fall/winter of 2010-2011. I totally lost some large hostas and others just barely put up any leaves because the voles ate most of their crowns.

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In-house laborer showing off his 'Annabelle' hydrangea flowers! Guess I need to quit buying flowers and buy him some new jeans for working in the yard and photograph sessions, LOL! To his left is the stump of one of the 2 pin oaks in the center of the front yard. We cut it down summer 2012 because it died. Think it was from damage from the ice storm we had about 5 years prior. Researching found no disease and the one next to it is happy as can be. Guess what...gotta shop for a replacement tree this year!!!

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Happy Memorial Day, everyone! Today's photos are from Regina Bunning (aka trashywoman62!!). She says, "I live outside of Taylorville, Illinois, on about two acres. We moved here in August 2003 from a home in town that took me 20 minutes to mow with a push mower, so the massive expansion on yard was both wonderful and daunting! As you can see in the appraisal photo there was not much going on other than the old oak trees and green grass. That fall, having plantitis, we dividedtwo varieties of hostas from my old house and made many babies and planted them along the front of the house and planted a few bulbs around the Jane Magnolia at the front door. The next couple of years we repainted the trim on the house and added a split rail fence to "frame the picture". I was amazed at the change those two items made. So, as the story goes, I went plant shopping!

Over the course of several years, my in-house laborer has taken an interest in the actual plants, not just building, moving, spreading, and digging. His transformation was both wonderful and difficult. I could not have done this without his help but sometimes he acts on his own, which is often contradictory to the wishes of the Head Gardener! But when I was unable to work in the garden for a couple of years, he was right there weeding and spreading new mulch without being asked. The garden survived those two years because of him. And his maintenance was done usually on the one or two days he had off because he was an over-the-road truck driver. I tease him and say he goes back to work to rest." Wow, Regina, that was a huge undertaking, and it looks amazing! Thanks so much for sharing! ****much more info in the captions***

**Hey all, I'll be out of the office all week on photo shoots (don't worry--the GPODS will still go on), so if you have any problems or comments and decide to email me, I may not respond until the middle of next week, and I may not drop in much on the GPOD this week (I was out last week, too, could you tell?). If something urgent comes up, you can email our web producer, Antonio, at areis (a) taunton dot com. I'll try to find lots of great stuff to share with you while I'm out. In the meantime, keep sending me pics of your gardens! You would not believe some of the stuff I'm getting in my inbox these days. You guys are some seriously talented gardeners!! Keep it comin'.......**

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